I read this on TV3′s web-site, but had seen a similar article in the friends of TiriTiri newsletter. 3 birds are to be released on Tiri Tiri in June 2007. These have the rare Taranaki gene and that will help with genetic diversity on the island.
The kokako is one of the world’s rarest birds and three breeding pairs have been transferred away from an island sanctuary to the New Zealand mainland. Now, more people will be able to hear the beutiful song of this NZ native.
read more | digg story
I’ve been a friend of Tiritiri Matangi since my first trip there about ten years ago and ‘tiri’ is, for me, one of the most wonderful places in the world. I stayed there one weekend in 2000 and saw kiwi in the wild (a lot of New Zealanders have never seen a kiwi even in a zoo), I was also able to feed sandhoppers to a takahe. That may not sound much, but there are only 300 of these birds in the world, so I was very lucky.